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A Word From Pastor John
I've been thinking about John 3:17 this week where the Bible tells us that:
"God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."
Here we see very clearly that the ministry and life of Jesus was not about judging or condemning "the world", rather it was about saving and transforming the world.
I think of our own Christian lives and how often we are quick to judge or condemn something that society is doing or pushing. All we have to do is turn on the news to perhaps find something we disagree with that is being promoted throughout society.
The interesting thing here is that the Bible seems to imply that we should avoid judging and condemning. Rather, we should be in the business of pointing people towards Jesus.
Even if society at large continues on the path godlessness and selfishness, our focus should not be on judging and condemning. Our focus should be on continually pointing people towards Jesus.
May we remember this week that God has already won the battle. The kingdom of God is here. As we go about our days may we continue to embrace that reality.
Pray for One Another
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Our pastors and their families
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The world as we all continue to navigate this Covid-19 pandemic.
Bonnie Rickman's Daughter-in-law, Tina
Frank Sundstrom and Dawn
Phil Hunt
Sharon Slaven's Sister
Briar Mobley
Kat Wyly
Pat Lancos' daughter in law Tricia
The family of Vern Rupp
The many unspoken requests
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Verse of the Week
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Read about all the Bible forefathers and how they were faithful to God!
Nazarene News
Arkansas church continues founder's legacy of racial reconciliation
Paul Holderfield Sr. (Left), and Jimmy Lipkin (Right) reconcile and finish their handshake.
Friendly Chapel Church of the Nazarene has been a beacon of hope for racial reconciliation in the Deep South since its inception. The work of Paul Holderfield Sr., the church’s founder, continues to live on through the North Little Rock church as it provides a refuge for anyone in need, regardless of race.
Holderfield planted the church in one of the worst crime areas in Arkansas. He liked to describe the church’s early days by saying, “We came into the neighborhood when they did not want us and stayed until they could not do without us.”
Now led by his son, Paul Holderfield Jr., Friendly Chapel has served the community since 1972 through the F.L.A.M.E. philosophy (Feeding and Loving All Men Equally).
During the winter, the church serves hot meals to more than 80 people each weekday, and in the summer they provide 250-300 sack lunches daily, five days a week. Proceeds from the church’s thrift shop fund a scholarship program as well as the church’s annual back to school shopping spree for low-income students. The church rents houses to retirees and widows and provides transitional living spaces for families trying to get back on their feet, all for nominal monthly fees.
The church traces its origins back to a crisis moment in Paul Sr.’s life. In 1957, Little Rock was the center of the Civil Rights movement in America. At the time, Paul Sr. was a firefighter at a station just down the street from Little Rock Central High School, the first school in the Deep South to become racially integrated. Tensions were high, and the governor called in the National Guard to block Black students from entering the high school.
Paul Sr. would have considered himself a bigot at that time, and he and his fellow firemen stood outside their fire station hurling slurs and insults at those who walked by. One day, a Black man who helped Paul Sr.’s family walked by. Paul Sr. tried to duck out of sight, but Jimmy Lipkin recognized him and extended his hand for a handshake. To appease his fellow firemen, Paul Sr. stuck his hand in his back pocket. The look on Lipkin’s face made Paul Sr.’s insides turn. That night he called his wife to tell her how horrible he felt about what he had done.
“He told her he’d refused to shake a man’s hand because of the color of his skin,” Paul Jr. said. “He wept and said he’d never do it again, no matter what anyone said.”
Twelve years later, Paul Sr. became a Christian and the family started attending a local church. Paul Jr. remembers the time his brother brought a Black friend from school to church.
“One Black child walked in and half the church left,” Paul Jr. said. “They grumbled about having someone in there who was Black, saying ‘What’s this church coming to?’”
After several similar instances of discrimination, including a board meeting where leadership decided against helping a predominantly Black community, Paul Sr. felt led to start his own church in the heart of North Little Rock in 1970. The congregation began meeting at the Boys and Girls Club where Paul Sr. boxed. They later became affiliated with the Nazarene church and were officially recognized by the Church of the Nazarene in 1972.
Since then, Friendly Chapel has continued to love on the neglected community despite the risks.
“Daddy said, ‘I’d rather get killed out here doing something for God,’” Paul Jr. said.
Many years later, Paul Sr. gave his testimony at a local church. After the service, a group of women asked Paul Sr. about the man whose hand he refused to shake. Paul Sr. had never seen Lipkin again and assumed he was dead. The women knew Lipkin and helped the men reconcile. They cried together, celebrating the marked transformation Paul Sr. experienced and his work in a community he used to curse.
In reflecting on Friendly Chapel’s current state, Paul Jr. said the church’s make up hasn’t mattered to them as much as what they were there to do in the community.
“We just keep on loving people like we’ve been doing for the last 51 years,” Paul Jr. said. “We’re still doing the same things that we did from the very start. That’s loving people where they are, caring about them, and trying to be a little help to folks.”
This spring, a movie about Paul Holderfield Sr.'s life will be released. To view the trailer for Paul’s Promise, click here.
by Daniel Sperry for Nazarene News | 12 Feb 2021
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M O S A I C K I D S
This weeks topic is: God is Always With Us!
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Coming Up...
Humor... kinda
A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Bible class. As she ran she prayed, "Dear Lord, please don't let me be late! Dear Lord, please don't let me be late!" As she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her clothes dirty and tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again. As she ran she once again began to pray, "Dear Lord, please don't let me be late... But please don't shove me either!”
A Sunday school teacher was teaching the Ten Commandments to her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor thy father and thy mother," she asked,"Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"
One little boy shouted, "Thou shall not kill."
A little boy was waiting for his mother to come out of the grocery store.
As he waited, he was approached by a man who asked, "Son, can you tell me where the post office is?"
The little boy replied, "Sure, just go straight down the street a couple of blocks and turn to your right."
The man thanked the boy kindly and said, "I'm the new pastor in town, and I'd like for you to come to church on Sunday. I'll show you how to get to Heaven."
The little boy replied with a chuckle, "Awww, come on; you don't even know the way to the post office!"
Social Distancing Guidelines
Please keep at least 6 feet apart while sitting in the sanctuary if possible
Please practice social distancing on the church property as much as possible
Sanitizer and masks are available at the front table
If you feel sick or have a temperature, please stay home
Communion elements will be available on a table as you enter the church
Offering will be taken as you exit the church after service
Surfaces will be regularly cleaned and sanitized
Thanks for respecting the guidelines and one another!
